button one's lip | Idiomator

Meaning: (idiomatic)To remainsilent, especially in order to keep asecretor to avoid saying somethinginappropriate.1910, Jim Nasium, "The Baseball League on the Styx,"The Sunday Press(Pittsburgh), 15 May, p. 2 (retrieved 19 July 2010):"Yes," put in Solomon. "I've been tipped off to this guy Mars, and you'd better tell him tobutton up his lipand not start anything."1971October 13,Ted Blackman, “Green as team player too”, inMontreal Gazette, retrieved19 July 2010, page13:"We advised John not to talk, tobutton his lip, but he talked anyway."2010June 1,Larry Woody, “Busch Better Heed Burton”, inFOXNews.com, retrieved19 July 2010:Busch wiselybuttoned his lipand didn't say anything else.

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